The Respiratory Research Unit at Sygehus Lillebælt in Vejle focuses on improving the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases and lung cancer.
The unit conducts both local research projects and international clinical drug trials in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, sarcoidosis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary infections, hereditary lung diseases, and lung cancer.
The research projects include biological therapies, inhaled treatments, oral medications, and intravenous preparations, as well as both short-term interventional studies and multi-year follow-up programmes. This wide range of research activities provides an important foundation for positioning Vejle as a preferred Danish unit for complex respiratory medicine studies.
The unit has strong clinical and academic capacity, with six research nurses, six physicians serving as principal investigators or sub-investigators, one associate professor, three additional physicians with PhDs, three postdoctoral researchers, and five PhD students.
The unit supports a clear career pathway from medical student and research year through PhD, postdoctoral research, clinical associate professorship, and professorship. At the same time, training and professional development opportunities for the research nurses are prioritized. This provides a high degree of professional breadth and supports the conduct of multiple concurrent studies, ensuring continuity in patient contact, medical supervision, patient safety, and research leadership.
The unit is currently conducting approximately 20 active clinical drug trials, as well as a large number of locally anchored, clinically oriented research projects
